A high-speed network environment typically includes network devices such as routers and bridges used for facilitating delivery of information packets and/or data traffic from source devices to destination devices. Information pertaining to the transfer of packet(s) through the network is usually embedded within the packet itself. Each packet traveling through one or more communications networks such as Internet and/or Ethernet can typically be handled independently from other packets in a packet stream or traffic. For example, each router which may include routing, switching, and/or bridging engines processes incoming packets and determines where the packet(s) should be forwarded.
In a high-speed computing network environment, it is critical to maintain high speed traffic flows with minimal data loss and/or packet drop. As such, it is important to detect failures relating to data links and/or connections between the network devices, thereby the traffic flows can be maintained and rerouted for reducing packet drop(s). A problem associated with a high-speed computing network is data (or packet) loss due to data connection(s) (or data link) failure. A cause of data loss is to continue sending the data packets to a router over a data link after the data link is already down.
A conventional detecting method such as Virtual Circuit Connectivity Verification (“VCCV”) channel over a pseudowire (“PW”) has been employed to enhance the network reliability. For example, inband VCCV channel implemented using an MPLS PW control word (CW) may increase the ability of the network operator to understand the status of each individual PW on an end-to-end basis across the network. Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (“VRRP”) is another widely used method to detect link failure(s). VRRP, however, is typically not reliable to protect end-to-end service by VRRP routers when end user is not connected on the same LAN segment as the VRRP routers.
A problem associated with the conventional approach(s) is that the detection is not quick enough to stop or reroute data packets away from a down link.